Alpha Flight ARC for M2K
by Sinister2004
Summary: This is a guest arc I did on the Alpha Flight title at Marvel 2000 m2k. and it has Alpha Flight coming head to head with the site's brand new Brotherhood.
1. Chapter 1

**Children, Brothers, and Alliances Pt.1: The Exchange**

**By: Brent Lambert**

Jadianna found the putrid smell of the sewers below Manhattan to be utterly distasteful though she had smelt far worse things. As a former general in the grand army of Ramses Xavier she had seen piles of dead bodies and witness the overwhelming smell that came along with them. The same would have occurred to this world if not for the interference of the Exiles, Avengers, and the man she now works with…Mr. Sinister. Her position in life now was one beneath the one she had once held, but it suited her needs for the time being. Sinister was the ladder upon which she would build her own power base. The blood that flowed through her veins demanded nothing less.

The ankle high green water made Jadianna's descent to her destination all that much slower. Truth of the matter she would simply break down all this water with electrolysis, but she wanted her presence to be a surprise. A sewer suddenly without murky, fecal matter infested water would be noticed quickly. On her world her mother, Storm, had been leader of a group called the Morlocks after defeating Callisto. Jadianna wondered if the same had happened on this world.

"Child of Sinister why have you come to my abode?" a brutish voice called out from the shadows of the sewers.

The daughter of Wolverine and Storm smiled as she turned her back to see Dark Beast hanging from the roof, "I have come to make you an offer Dark Beast. I extend Sinister's olive branch to you."

"Sinister's olive branch? Don't speak to me in oxymorons!" Dark Beast warned as he landed into the water with a large splash. As he stood up bones began to grow out of his back and wrists.

Holding up a hand Jadianna groaned, "Please don't try and threaten me. I'm here for a reason. Just listen and you might like to hear what I have to say."

"Make it quick. My time is not to be wasted on the servants of inferior scientists," Dark Beast growled.

Rolling her eyes Jadianna replied, "Fabian Cortez has been a thorn in the side of Sinister for quite some time. Sinister wants you to find a way to take him down."

"I don't do requests for Sinister!" Dark Beast yelled as he flung out three bone daggers that were all only inches away from striking Jadianna's face. Not once did the former general flinch.

"You'll be given very valuable genetic test subjects as payment for this deed," Jadianna said.

Dark Beast knew that the predecessor from whom his name derived would not be pleased, but he had to take this offer. His curiosity (perhaps his creator's DNA) was overwhelming, "I will do what you ask. I have just the idea in mind."

"I can't believe we were even able to get tickets to this movie!" Heather exclaimed looking down at the Star Wars tickets.

"I'm just surprised we survived the line to get in. I swear some of them people had real lightsabers," Madison joked as they passed by a young child dressed in full Darth Vader gear.

"I wish Walter and the others had been able to come," James sighed thinking about the recent tragic events that had plagued his team. Just when the team seemed to be on a role things got bad.

"Can we please not get into the gloom and doom? I just want to enjoy this movie and see a lil green man kick some butt," Diamond Lil laughed.

"Hey guys I found out a secret about this movie," Madison whispered as they began to walk into the theater.

"Go ahead and spill it. You know you can't hold water," Diamond Lil teased.

"Anakin becomes Darth Vader," Madison proclaimed as if he had learned some great truth.

Heather, Diamond, and Guardian all stopped dead in their tracks and cut Madison with their eyes. Mrs. Jeffries was the first to speak, "I can't believe you even went there!"

"Definitely a good thing that Michael is watching the baby at home. No need for the little tike to see old Dad acting stupid this early," James joked.

"I've probably been here a thousand times and I'm still not tired of it," Elizabeth exclaimed as she stepped through the door of the Hockey Hall of Fame. She had to admit that while hockey wasn't her favorite sport the work and time they put into this place was amazing. Not to mention Elizabeth happened to be a large fan of Toronto.

"There seems to be a ton more people in here than usual," Maria, a high school friend of Talisman, said as she glanced around at the crowd packing in to see the hockey memorabilia.

"Haven't you read the newspapers Maria? America has been undergoing so many superhuman attacks that tourism is spilling into other countries as a result. Not to mention that hockey is gaining in popularity in the US," Talisman exclaimed as she saw one of Wayne Gretzy's jerseys encased on a wall.

"Well, I liked it better when it was just like 50 people in here," Maria groaned as she bumped shoulders with an elderly Norwegian woman.

"Times change. You just gotta learn to deal with it," Talisman teased when suddenly the roof of the building was ripped clear off. Debris fell everywhere and Elizabeth narrowly dodged a large chunk of roof that separated her from Maria.

"Maria!" Elizabeth cried out hoping that no injury had befallen her friend. Reaching deep within herself Elizabeth transformed into Talisman.

"Looks like we get to have some fun after all," a bestial voice chuckled as he licked his purple fingers in anticipation of the blood he was about to draw.

Talisman turned to the source of the voice and found four people approaching here. One was dressed from head to toe in white and next to him was the purple man who was still licking his fingers. Behind the two of them was a hairy brute with an Asian woman sitting on one of his shoulders.

"I don't know who you are, but I won't let you harm anyone here!" Talisman said confidently.

"You don't have much of a choice in the matter," Grey King announced as he came down from the sky and pinned Talisman to the ground with his telekinesis.

Dust moved across the complex in her sand form, as it was a much faster mode of transportation. Moving in her burqua could be quite the exercise and if this message were as urgent as the deliverer claimed it to be then Fabian would want to see it soon as possible. Cortez didn't like to be kept waiting, especially nowadays since the activity of the Acolytes had been little to none.

So far the team hadn't been able to find a suitable base and had to take an abandoned military complex in southern Turkey as their home. It was frustrating for the once active assassin to be forced into obscurity. Under Sinister her activities had been numerous and she was never without a potential kill. Now she had to train constantly just to keep her skills sharp and going.

As she blew past Babylon he spat out dust she kicked up, "What's the rush Dust? Do you really need to make a mess of things?"

Blowing past the former henchmen of Onslaught, Post, caused the mutant to exclaim a string of profanities, "Damn it Dust! Who the hell gave you a license to mess up the whole damn base? It's already a shithole!"

"You should be careful how you speak to her Post. Her skill is to be reckoned with. She's turned whole platoons into bones," Whiteout reminded.

"Ahh screw off," Post grumbled.

Dust finally made it to the small room where Cortez was busy watching reports concerning the attacks that super powered Asian terrorists were committing against the Western World. It was clear in Cortez's expression that he wanted his group to be getting into activities such as these Avatars were, but things just hadn't come together yet. While handing Cortez the paper parchment Dust hoped that maybe it could make things come together at last.

Reading over the letter for a few moments Cortez's eyes flashed with excitement and he leaped up from his seat, "Bout damn time we got some action! Suit everyone up. The best mutant team on the planet is about to make its big debut."

"I can't believe I missed Mace Windu getting killed!" Heather complained as she turned down the radio to voice her complaint as the Alphans made their way home.

Madison laughed, "Well that's what you get for being greedy!"

Diamond Lil play punched her husband (it was still enough to hurt Jeff), "Where are your manners Madison? The popcorn was simply that good."

Vindicator turned back in her seat and gave Lil an approving smile, "Thank you. I haven't had good popcorn in a while."

Guardian held up a hand in guilt, "Blame me for that one. I always burn the stuff in the microwave."

Madison chuckled, "Trust me I've smelt it before. Surprised an alarm didn't go off!"

"It's enough for me too. So is Anakin cute or what?" Heather asked quickly changing the subject to something the ladies of the car would have more than enough fun with.

Mrs. Madison gave out a mock gasp of excitement; "I could just eat him to pieces! I just bet he's gay though."

"Don't say that. You'll break my heart. He's too cute!"

Diamond Lil shrugged, "Yea, but that's the problem. He's just too cute!"

"Oh come on hun! I'm that cute and straight as an arrow," Madison commented as ran a hand through his hair in a move of humorous seduction.

"You must have did some real ego building with this guy," James laughed as he sped up the car to pass an old lady who probably needed her license revoked.

"Don't expect me to pick up that habit anytime soon," Heather said folding her arms across her chest.

"Oh trust me that's the last thing I'd expect you to pick up," Guardian grinned.

"So do any of you think Judd secretly played Yoda?" Madison asked trying his best to sound dead serious.

Diamond Lil eyed her husband with disdain, "Ask him that and see the result. He'll be Yoda alright."

"I would hope that your husband had the common sense not to ask," Vindicator sighed.

"Common sense? Me? You've got to be joking," Madison smiled.

"You know a lot of truth is said in jest, Madison," Heather replied licking her lips to remove some of the popcorn salt still bothering her.

Guardian laughed, "Oh there she goes quoting stuff! Just has to remind us she's a genius."

"What woman doesn't remind you just how much smarter she is than you?" Madison asked.

With that question Guardian cringed as if someone had dumped a whole bucket of worms on him, "Boy you opened up a whole can of worms with that!"

"I'm glad you're telling him that right off the bat!" Vindicator exclaimed.

Realizing he was going into shark territory Madison quickly changed the subject, "So where is Judd anyway? Did he go to pay Logan a visit?"

"I doubt that. The X-Men have had their troubles lately," Vindicator replied.

"Troubles is hardly the word for it. The riots were insane," Guardian said somberly remembering just how helpless he felt as he saw the images that ravaged Washington D.C.

"Part of me almost wishes that Alpha Flight had intervened," Diamond Lil commented. She knew that she would have definitely been some help against Juggernaut, but maybe she was just overestimating herself. It was just that seeing people suffering spurred something in her. Helping those in need was her calling in life and Washington D.C. had been a place of great need.

James shook his head, "Like Gentry would have ever let that mission fly."

"Gentry doesn't want Cheney blasting his phone probably," Vindicator guessed.

"Can we please not get into politics? Only politics I want to talk about are Palpatine and the Senate," Madison grinned.

The band around Elizabeth's head began to glow brightly as the telekinetic hold of Grey King was broken and she was on her feet prepared to fight anyone who got within a good distance of her. Chaos still reigned all around her, but Talisman knew she that she couldn't get involved in it. Whoever these guys were they were too dangerous to take her attention off of.

"So the bitch has some spunk!" Napalm said as she leaped off of Landslide's shoulder.

"Maybe we oughta give her a few licks and see if she screams," Landslide grinned as he cracked his knuckles in anticipation of smacking them across the woman's face. Nothing like a woman's scream to turn you on in the morning.

Getting into a battle stance Liz made the concrete underneath Landslide rise up quickly. The brute was sent careening into the ceiling and a piece of concrete flew into the side of Napalm's head. She was knocked to the ground by the attack and the world was far too hazy for her to get up. Fantomex and Crule both dodged the fragments of concrete with ease.

Crule made his way towards Elizabeth ready to render her to pieces when a large white paw stuck him across the face and sent him flying into a nearby exhibit. Talisman was glad to see the polar bear and the man riding on it. Her father and Snowbird had come to her rescue just in the nick of time.

Fantomex had his two guns pointed at Snowbird and Talisman. He figured he'd shoot the bear in the head and the girl in the neck. Grey King could take care of the old man if he wanted. The former Mossad agent just wanted to her a couple of high-pitched screams before the job was done.

No Fantomex! We're leaving. No telling what other kind of back-up they might have coming. These attacks are meant to be quick strikes. We'll keep them as such.

Hearing the order Fantomex tucked away his guns as he and his teammates were lifted into the air by telekinesis. He gave the three superhumans a menacing stare as he was lifted upward.

Seeing that the attackers were gone Shaman turned to his daughter, "Are you alright?"

"A lot better than I would be if you hadn't shown up. I thought you two were watching Lil's kid?"

Turning back to human form Snowbird gave Talisman an almost dumbfounded look, "We assumed that the child would be alright. Your safety came first and foremost in our minds."

"Either way thanks for the save, but I doubt we've seen the last of these guys."

"So when are we taking a vacation? I heard Wakanda is nice this time of year," Madison said as they neared the driveway of their complex.

"A vacation? We're Canada's only superteam. I don't think we'll ever get one of those," Heather laughed.

"Especially with the amount of increasing threats facing the planet. It seems like you take out one badass and five more show up looking to take that person's place. Damn frustrating hardly sums up my feelings sometimes," Mac groaned as he caught attention of something that made him slam the brakes.

Madison noticed it too so didn't react as badly as the women, "Why are a bunch of glowing butterflies tapping on our house? Man I'm really not drinking any river water now."

Catching a strange light in her rearview mirror Heather looked back and screamed, "Everyone out of the car!"

A large pillar of solid light slammed into the vehicle and smashed it into the ground like it was an empty Pepsi can. All of the Alphans had barely managed to escape the attack, but none of them were worse for wear. Madison spoke what was going through the heads of everyone else, "Did the Sun decide it wanted to have a bad day?"

"If that was the case why couldn't it have given some licks to Florida or something," Guardian complained as he got to his feet.

"We've come for the child!" ten winged men, composed of light, said as they swooped out of the sky. Each of them carried swords made of the same material as them. There were no discernable facial features and each of them seemed to be a clone of the other. It was easy to see that these men were simply constructs.

Knowing that gave Madison no restraint as he used the metal from the broken car to his advantage. He created spikes that went skyrocketing into the air. Each spike struck with deadly accuracy as it penetrated the frame of the winged light men. As the creatures dissipated Madison gave himself a pat on the back.

"He's gone. I destroyed his constructs," Talisman said as she rode in on a large tree branch.

"Oh great you just stole my thunder! Nice one Liz!" Madison groaned.

"Who was the attacker? I don't think too many of our foes would be capable of pulling off that kind of attack," Diamond Lil gasped.

"We'll ask Gentry, but one thing was clear. They were after your child," Heather said looking to Diamond.

With an aggravated stare Madison's wife said, "A child you were supposed to be looking after Michael! Where were you?"

"Saving me from a group of homicidal mutants. They attacked the Hockey Hall of Fame and pretty much wrecked the place," Talisman explained.

Madison wiped sweat from his brow, "Could this day get any better? We definitely need Judd for comic relief right now."

A booming voice came over the intercom and commanded the members of Alpha Flight, "Report inside on the double. We need to conference about the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants."


	2. Chapter 2

**Children, Brothers, and Alliances Pt. 2: The Siege**

**By: Brent Lambert**

p Gentry knew that he needed to be upfront and brutally honest about the Brotherhood to his team. Each of them looked like they were hungry to know as much as possible about this newest incarnation of the Brotherhood. Diamond Lil and Madison Jeffries looked the most eager. They probably wanted to know if the attack on the Alpha Complex was connected to the Brotherhood in any way.

p Removing his glasses Gentry wiped the condensation off of his glasses and took the first question from Shaman, "Just why are the Brotherhood here in Canada?"

p "We're not sure, but the Brotherhood's general purpose is to sow chaos and fear wherever they go. They usually keep their efforts concentrated to countries where anti-mutant activity is high. Canada is no where near in that category," Gentry stated as he pulled up images of the recent places that the Brotherhood had attacked. Burnt buildings, broken bodies, screaming women, and blaring sirens were the common themes.

p The images disgusted Heather. Ever since the attacks conducted by Shadow King the world had been in a state of flux. The destruction of Shadow King left a huge power vacuum that various groups and individuals were struggling to fill. Innocent people were being thrown into the middle of the power struggle.

p "Just who are we up against here? My team needs to be able to formulate solid strategies against these terrorists," Guardian proclaimed strongly as veins were clearly visible from his neck and forehead.

p "They're a 12 man team and they operate in a ruthless manner similar to a lot of human based terrorist organizations. They create chaos, kill innocents, and never once flinch at the thought of massacre. Their last major attack was on a high school that a Senator's son attended. A dossier file on each of the Brotherhood's members will be sent to you after this meeting Guardian," Gentry promised as began to pace around the room.

p "So did they have something to do with the attempted kidnapping of my child!" Diamond Lil cried out.

p "We can't be sure. It'd be guesswork at this point, but the timing does seem to indicate that they do indeed have something to do with it," Gentry replied trying to keep himself objective. He understood the source of Lil's frustration. He really did, but as the head of Department H his attention was pulled in a thousand different directions. The situation with the Brotherhood was just one of many things he was having to deal with.

p "So when do we suit up and take the fight to these bastards?" Madison Jeffries bawled.

p Gentry sighed, "You don't. The government order is to wait for them to make a move again. They don't want Alpha Flight tearing up the country looking for the Brotherhood. Better to let them come to you."

p "This bureaucrat bullshit isn't helping me operate my team any better Gentry," Guardian said his hands gripping the table tightly.

p "Its not suppose to James. But it's just the way things are. Accept it or go home. Alpha Flight doesn't make a move until the Brotherhood makes one."

p Just then alarms began to blare loudly all across the Alpha Complex. Gentry got a small smirk out of Guardian with his defeated look, "All right there's your cue. Now go and take care of this terrorist scum."

p "We'll have no problem doing that," Talisman said rising up from her chair.

p Shaman: "Don't be so overconfident child. You must be prepared for all things. The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants is not to be taken lightly."

p "Be steady with the child, Michael. Her power is a strong one and this battle may provide her an opportunity to test the extent of her abilities further. Let her remain strong in resolve," Snowbird said cutting off the mindful father.

p "Lets just hope her confidence translates well in combat," Heather Hudson said.

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p Grey King threw the car into the tiny shop with his telekinesis. People scattered at the sight of the car coming towards them. Most were able to dodge the vehicle since it was a Honda, but one old woman wasn't able to get away in time and was crushed by the vehicle. Grey King laughed maniacally, "Granny couldn't move fast enough!"

p "Oh that's just sick!" Guardian screamed as he slammed a powered up fist into Grey King's telekinetic shield. The blow wasn't enough to break the barrier but it was enough to send the leader of the Brotherhood reeling back in pain. It was a numbing pain, but Grey King could only smile at the attack.

p "I didn't see that one coming friend. But I'll give cred where cred's due. You can at least throw a punch."

p "Oh I can do lot more than that," Guardian assured.

p "Lets put that to the test," Grey King said as he unleashed a barrage of telekinetic daggers at Guardian. The leader of Alpha Flight dodged each one of the daggers with expert ease. The former Prelate of Apocalypse laughed at the bravado of Guardian. He clapped his hands lightly at the agility of Guardian.

p James sensed something was wrong and with a quick turn of his eyes he saw the object coming at him. The Honda came flying at him and before he knew it the vehicle collided with him. The leader of Alpha Flight went flying through the sky like a rag doll. Grey King threw his head back in laughter again, "Showboating isn't going to get you anywhere Canadian."

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p Crule growled as he landed on the ground and charged at the waiting Snowbird. He wanted nothing more than to rip the Alphan to pieces. His lust for blood was overwhelming and in the midst of battle he desired it even more so. Snowbird waited until the heathen was close enough and changed her form into that of a polar bear. She slammed into the body of Crule and sent him crashing into a nearby car. The car was caved in from the impact with Crule's body. The resurrected External was enraged at being so easily thrown back by the shapeshifter. Pulling himself out of the hole he made in the car, Crule flipped over the vehicle. He placed his hands under the car and lifted it into the air. With a heavy breath he flung the car the way of Snowbird. He waited to see the bloody stain that would result from the impact.

p Unfortunately he wouldn't get what he desired as Snowbird changed her shape into that of a wolf. She couldn't believe how brutish her opponent was. He was going for brute force when sometimes all it took to win was a bit of finesse and ingenuity. Of course he was a lowly mortal and did not know of such things. How could he when he was flinging around large machines? Moving with the speed of the wolf she dodged the car and ran towards the obviously angered Crule.

p Running forward the Brotherhood member tried to swipe at Snowbird with his claws, but failed miserably. Snowbird leaped into the air and locked her jaws around Crule's throat. Blood gushed from the wound as the wolf's teeth slipped into his veins. The External would not cry out in pain though. The woman would not get such satisfaction from him. His immortality assured his healing and that would be enough for him. Crule wrapped one of his hands around Snowbird's neck and flung her away like a rag doll. With his other hand he tried to stop the blood that was flowing from his neck. He could already feel the wounds inflicted upon him beginning to heal.

p Snowbird landed on her feet gracefully and charged forward with full speed towards Crule. This time the External was ready for Snowbird's attack. He grabbed the wolf by the mouth and slashed her across the back with his claws. Snowbird wasn't able to let out a cry of pain since Crule was holding her mouth tightly. All she could do was make her next move and that was changing herself into an arctic owl. Crule, once again, hadn't been expecting it and she was able to slip from his grasp. Maneuvering herself quickly she used the beak she was possessed with to begin poking at one of Crule's eyes. The attack was painful enough to throw off Crule's coordination and he wasn't able to keep Snowbird from being unrelenting. All he could do was bat his arms wildly in the hopes that he would be able to find the animal and knock it to the concrete. Finally, through sheer luck Crule was able to land a blow and knock Snowbird in the direction of the car he had just thrown at her.

p The blow had been a fierce one and the former goddess was moving towards the car at high speeds. Before she came into contact with the vehicle she changed herself into a polar bear once again. Her momentum went dead and she crashed into the ground only inches away from the car. Narya turned herself back into a wolf so she could get on her feet and then immediately switched back to the polar bear form. It was just in the nick of time as Crule was once again coming at her full speed. He looked like a tiny football player's worst nightmare times ten. Snowbird wasn't going to let that deter her though.

p As Crule was running vines suddenly blew up from the ground and entrapped him. The External rip and torn at the vines, but was unable to free himself. It seemed that for every vine he ripped through ten more found their way around his body. Crule growled in immense frustration as he was suddenly trapped. It was a feeling that he despised and knew his foe would take advantage of.

p "Figured I'd give you a hand before the hot chick decides to get up and start throwing some more fireballs at me," Talisman said, referring to her fight with Napalm.

p Changing back into her human form Snowbird staggered from the wounds across her back, "The assistance is appreciated. I will finish off this foul beast soon enough."

p Seeing the obvious pain that she was in Talisman said, "Just hurry up. Don't want to see you get any more banged up!"

p "Oh don't worry about that my child. I have just the thing for him," Snowbird said as she shifted her shape into that of a moose.

p Taking off at a run Snowbird thought she was going to collide full force with the beast. She was hoping that she could finally put down this monster with one last blow. Valiantly charging forward the moose reared its head and slammed into the still vine entangled Crule. The External grabbed the antlers of the moose and with superhuman strength he snapped off the horns and flung them to the side. Snowbird immediately head-butted Crule and rocked him back. Backing up Snowbird charged forward and hit Crule in the stomach at full force. The purple-skinned man went flying back and collided harshly with Landslide who was dead in the heat of battle with Diamond Lil.

p Landslide looked at Crule with disgust, "I'm fighting an obviously angry woman here! It's like fighting friggin Apocalypse! So could you please watch where you fly!"

p Crule growled, "Just give me a hand!"

p Landslide grabbed Crule by the wrist and began to spin around fanatically. After achieving a sufficient speed the brute let loose of the External and sent him flying through the air towards the staggering moose that was Snowbird. Looking up with exhausted eyes Narya was barely able tot transform herself into an owl. As Crule flew over Snowbird he slammed into the street sending concrete in every direction. Snowbird rose above the debris and turned her powerful vision towards Crule.

p Dusting himself off Crule could no longer stand fighting the shape shifter. She had been carefully avoiding his attacks during the whole battle. He had gotten in a few licks, but for the most part she was still in control of the fight. He was a mighty External! None were suppose to rise above him…EVER!

p Taking a nosedive, Snowbird decided on what would be her last strike. The creature was a sea mammal primarily found in the waters of Russia. Old sailors had often mistaken it as a sea unicorn. The truth of the matter was that the horn was really a tusk that grew through the upper lip. It was this tusk that motivated Snowbird to become a narwhal. When she was only within a few feet of Crule she altered her body into that of a narwhal. Once again Crule had been caught unaware and the all so crucial tusk ripped through the flesh of Crule's neck. A gurgled scream went forth from the External as he pushed Snowbird from him with such force that the tusk snapped from the narwhal. Pieces of his throat flew along with the form of Snowbird. Fortunately, that didn't harm Narya any, but she was completely and totally exhausted. This exhaustion caused her to change back in her human form.

p Crule could barely contain his rage as he ripped the tusk from his neck. He was unable to talk as the flesh of his neck began to heal itself slowly. While healing he would finish off Snowbird and be done with the woman. Pain had blinded him so much he was unable to hear the warnings of Landslide. The Honda that Grey King had sent into Guardian had now crashed into Crule and crushed him under it.

p Dusting off his hands Guardian kept a cold expression, "Consider that a gift from your leader."

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p Landslide tried to warn Crule, but it was no use. The man was too enraged to pay any real attention to him. He didn't have time to be too focused on Crule as Diamond Lil was pressing the attack. In his trying to warn Crule he caught a punch to the gut from Diamond Lil.

p "Oh! What the crap is wrong with you lady!" Landslide yelled as he rolled onto the ground gripping his stomach.

p Diamond Lil walked slowly and stood over the rolling Landslide, "Did you have anything to do with my the attempted kidnapping of my son? ANSWER ME!"

p Landslide smiled as he threw a stray piece of asphalt created by Crule's impact earlier. As the piece of road collided with Diamond Lil's head, Landslide kicked out his feet and slammed the woman to the ground. Neither attack had hurt the invulnerable woman, but the Brotherhood member was getting desperate. Desperate times called for…well you know the rest.

p Being knocked to the ground enraged the already angry mother all the more. With one swift movement she kicked out her foot and collided with Landslide's face. Bones were crushed and teeth went flying as the large brute was propelled through the air. Landslide hit the corner of the building and a sickening snap went through the air.

p "You alright honey!" Diamond Lil yelled to her husband as she saw him dodge the claws of Mercury.

p Madison had a smirk on his face. Looking to his wife he said, "I got this honey!"

p "You have nothing!" Mercury yelled as he cut his claws across Jeffries stomach. Madison fell to the ground and faked pain. The claws had only grazed him truthfully.

p "You have no idea who I am do you? I manipulate metal you joke!" Jeffries yelled as he outstretched one hand.

p The very life of Mercury seemed to flash before his eyes as he felt the pain rip through his body. Madison was playing with his very existence like it was nothing. He couldn't control his body at all and his very life was being pulled and tugged like a toy. The mutant terrorist couldn't even utter a scream. Madison finally ceased his torture and let Mercury fall to the ground as a metallic puddle.

p Grey King saw that Mercury, Crule, and Landslide had all fallen. Growing angry he shouted one command, "Move out!" Lifting his three fallen teammates with telekinesis the leader of the Brotherhood looked back at Guardian with hate.

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p The Alpha Complex was under attack and the sparse security forces were doing their best to hold off the attack that came from all directions. One of those security officers was Daniel Goldman. He had been working in the Alpha Complex for about a few weeks and he really wasn't expecting anything crazy. He was from New York and Canada didn't have half the superhero activity that place had. So he was in no way expecting to be fighting off mutants anytime soon.

p A pink skinned man with what looked like three dark pink tear tattoos under his right eye snatched the gun that Goldman was holding. Glance smiled at the guard before slamming the weapon into his temple. The creation of Sinister looked back to his leader and said, "These guys are pathetic!"

p Cortez shot another guard in the head, "Of course they are! They're flatscans. What do you expect?"

p Dust appeared around a corner with a baby in her arms. She was being protected from gunfire by a light force field that Babylon had created around her. Cortez was most impressed with Babylon by far out of all his Acolytes. Sinister had made the right decision when he sent Judas Traveller to track down and capture this mutant. Of course, what was once Sinister's weapon was now being turned against him. Fabian loved every minute of it. Honestly, he was just surprised that Essex hadn't come gunning for his throat yet. Maybe he was still reeling from the loss of resources he incurred battling Onset.

p "I have the child. We can leave," the former assassin for Sinister, said.

p Gryphon came crashing out of the roof only a few feet away from them. Dusting herself off she said, "The bums have called in some reinforcements. And I heard one say that Alpha Flight was on the way."

p "Lets go then. I don't have time for bullshit," Fabian ordered.

p Daniel Goldman could only watch in daze horror as Gryphon walked over to him and maliciously caved in his skull with her foot, "A little fun never hurts."

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p Gentry looked over the torn bodies of his security forces. Gryphon had gone to work on them and he had just found out that the attackers had taken Diamond Lil's child. Alpha Flight would not be pleased at all. He could hear the enraged screams coming at him full force now. So much so his hearing was sub-consciously deafened by it. He never heard Jadianna Logan come up behind him.

p "You seem to be in a bit of a bind," Jadianna said as she looked around the wreckage and dead bodies.

p Gentry immediately turned around and pointed a gun at Logan's face, "Move and I'll blow a hole in your face!"

p "Easy Gentry. I'm only here to talk. I've got something to offer you."

p "Start talking," Gentry growled never once losing sight of just where he would shoot this woman if she got out of line. She looked almost identical to the X-Man, Storm, but something was different. Her whole mystique felt far more feral and wild.

p "I can promise you the safety of the Jeffries child, but only if you hand over to me DNA samples from everyone of Department H's old projects," Jadianna explained.

p Gentry never flinched in his response, "You go to hell!"

p Jadianna began to walk backwards and shook her head in disappointment, "Your mistake Gentry. You've made things far more difficult than they had to be."

p The Department H director lowered his gun after the woman was out of sight. Now he had more ferocious things to deal with; like an angry mother who was probably going to want to make him into a bloody paste.

p HR align"center" width75 colorred p 

p "Someone explain to me why we had to retreat? Please someone explain it to me!" Grey King yelled as he looked around the room at his tired and worn out Brotherhood.

p "It was our first superhero team. We'll do better next time around," Napalm said not caring how mad or pissed Grey King wanted to portray himself as. She did her own thing and didn't give a damn who had something to say about it. That's just the type of girl she was. Chee Hi had stopped caring about what other people thought once she was thrown out on the street at age 15. She never had much of a parental life. Chee was the bastard lovechild of Sunfire. Her mother left behind that much information at least. Being in the orphanage she taught herself how to survive and at 15 she was thrown out. A life of prostitution awaited her and she grew to despise men more as stay in that career field prolonged itself. Finally when her mutant powers emerged and she hit rock bottom it was Grey King that saved her.

p Before Grey King could scold the child for her defiance, Doppelganger (who had not been a part of the fight) came running into the room and out of breath, "I just saw the news! Alpha Flight got their baby kidnapped!"

p Landslide growled, "The bitch did keep asking me if I had something to do with the attempted kidnapping of her child."

p "Fabian Cortez is behind the kidnapping. He was hoping to play you all for fools and keep the child from Sinister," a voice said from above the Brotherhood.

p Grey King smirked. He knew the man had been there the whole time. Parts of the man's mind were hard to read, but he could see general things, "So Dark Beast why have you made your way to my abode?"

p "I wish to see Cortez and Sinister both bought low. Besides I figured you didn't like to be played Grey King," Dark Beast said quickly as he once more melded with the shadows and disappeared.

p "That guy is a creepy fucker," Napalm commented.

p "But he's a right fucker. I don't like being played. We'll take down Cortez, take the baby and use it as leverage against both Alpha Flight and Sinister. We get to have our cake and eat it too boys," Grey King proclaimed as he turned to look at Omega Red, "Wake Tremolo's ass up! She's been sleep all damn day! We got business to conduct people."

p HR align"center" width75 colorred p 

p Cortez looked at the baby and turned up his nose, "He's not going to be an attractive adult."

p "Like you are?" Whiteout asked with a hint of playfulness in her tone.

p Cortez rolled his eyes and turned to the Savage Lander. He quickly pulled her close to him and held her tight. Then he moved in for a deep kiss. He didn't really care too much for the woman, but he needed a piece every now and then. She was the only one that was reasonable enough to deal with. Gryphon was just all around hideous and he was afraid Dust would try to cut off his gonads or something while he slept.

p So as they continued to kiss a large explosion suddenly knocked them to the ground. Floating above the two of them was Grey King, "I hope I didn't interrupt you two love birds."

p "Naw them two like to freak in front of other people!" Glance said as he suddenly appeared behind Grey King and tried to stab him in the back with one of his energized javelins. In the middle of the motion the javelin was knocked away by an energy blast.

p "I got first dibs on him," Guardian said as he flew in from another hole that had been created in the empty complex the Acolytes had taken as their temporary base.

p "Seems we've got a problem," Cortez said to Grey King.

p The leader of the Brotherhood smiled, "Nope. Things have just gotten interesting."

p b **NEXT ISSUE: A knockdown three-way standoff between Alpha Flight, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and the Acolytes! Be here! /b **


End file.
